The Bonds of Family (KTA)
by AutobotGuy710
Summary: Prime. AU. Ironhide and Chromia have spent the better part of a century mourning the loss of their only son, Cliffjumper. But with Cybertron at peace for now, and humans and Transformers co-existing they have decided to fill the void with a young human from the youth sectors. So begins their misadventures in the world of parenting human kids.
1. The First Meeting

A/N: So two things to say when doing this fic: first of all, **JOURNEY OF THE EXILED** is officially on hiatus. I have such writers block for that story, I can't even begin to tell you. So frankly, I need a break to gather my thoughts better on that. Just in all honesty.

Secondly, this is set within the same universe as **A WHOLE NEW WORLD**! So this is kind of a sequel-ish I guess? But you really don't need to have read that to follow this whatsoever. Just know the following details:

1\. It's not Robots in Diguise-compliant.  
2\. 100 years have passed since Transformers: Prime ended.  
3\. Humans and Cybertronians both co-exist on Earth and Cybertron. With Cybertron's atmosphere being altered to sustain human life with Cybertronian tech.  
4\. Yes, mixed-species family is a thing.  
5\. About three years previous, Ultra Magnus adopted a human boy named Josh who will probably appear at some time in the story since he was the lead of the previous one.

The rest will be covered when it needs to be. But that's all you need to know now.

Finally, I was inspired to make Cliffjumper Ironhide and Chromia's son from the AMAZING fic **THE BITTERSWEET HOMECOMING** by **NITROSTATION** really if you have not read that one-shot before, you really should!

Also, of course, I will be adding this to the KTA movement. Since why not? It may as well be one!

Anyways, moving on to the fic...

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Transformers, or any of the recognized characters. I only own my OCs.

PAIRINGS: IronhidexChromia (duh)

* * *

 **CHAPTER 1  
The First Meeting**

Ironhide hated how final this felt.

He didn't want to be there - but he knew this was what was best for both he and Chromia. But the more he thought on the subject of this whole "adoption" thing, the more final it made the death of their creation. A death so unfounded and undeserved that it had haunted both them, and the Autobots for more than a century now.

It had been Chromia's idea from the get-go. She missed being a carrier with a youngling to dote over, and had often mourned their chances for grandcreations. They'd had the room, she insisted. Another youngling, human or Cybertronian would make them happy, she insisted. But Ironhide wasn't so sure about that - not back when he'd finally agreed to it, nor now that he stood quietly in the youth sector.

Ironhide knew a lot of kids from the youth sectors, of course, as a coach at Iacon Academy. It was nothing against them, no. Heck, Ultra Magnus' son Joshua, one of the nicest kids he knew, had come there from the streets of Kaon. It was simply that none of them were Cliffjumper, his little Cliffy, his son.

Sure, he knew if he looked hard enough he may see one or two with a similar frame, a similar color. But he doubted any of them would have his spirit or drive. Sagging his red plates a bit and tried his best to look interested as he observed the children outside in the yard at playtime. Chromia, for her part, seemed quite focused on them, but really, he wasn't sure.

Could he even let any child that close to his spark anymore?

Chromia coughed quietly to get his attention, and carefully poked his arm. "Ironhide, you need to at least try," she insisted, her voice firm as her optics gave him a sharp glance. "Your new son or daughter could be among these kids."

Ironhide himself rumbled quietly. "I'm having second thoughts about this, Chromia. I can't just do this, replace Cliff like this," he explained, his voice shaky. "I told myself I was ready to move on, but I just ain't. I can't do this..."

His mates optics dropped a little at that. It was clear that she might have seen this coming, but the way that she moved... Well, it told him this wouldn't be that easy. "We're not replacing him, Ironhide. We both know that," she explained - making Ironhide sigh. "We're giving someone who doesn't have a home a second chance. These kids have lost something too you know: their parents."

"I'm well aware," Ironhide explained. "But what if this doesn't help, Chromia? What then? We're wasting some little kid's time! I don't even know if I'm ready for another kid..."

"I'm not giving up because you're scared," Chromia replied, her voice tense. "I am too. But this is going to be good for us."

Ironhide crossed his arms and huffed as Chromia started off towards a crowd of boys. Of course she would be stubborn about this - and claim he was scared! Ha! Scared! He wasn't scared... He just felt this could very easily be a waste of theirs, and some kids time. Who would even know if they'd find anyone in this Iacon Youth Sector that made any kind of connection.

He stared around the group of kids again. They were all ages, shapes, and sizes. Some were tall Cybertronians nearing freedom and their adult frames. Some were humans that barely toddled their way around. He grimaced a bit, rubbing his lips with the back of an arm plate. How would he even know where to start? How would either of them even begin to know what to do?

 _Thunk!_

He'd only faintly heard the ball bounce against his leg before it had fallen to the ground. The ball was a human one, he'd gathered, a small "baseball" that some of his human students often enjoyed. He contemplated crouching down to pick it up, but no sooner had it landed, the small owner came running up to retrieve it.

Of course it was a human.

The boy couldn't have been older than seven years old. He had gangly golden brown hair, and two big, beady green eyes that stared up at Ironhide curiously. He was of average height and weight, and from what Ironhide could tell, relatively healthy.

For a moment - the red mech wondered if the boy would say anything. But once a few moments had passed, he finally spoke with a small, fragile type of voice. "S-Sorry mister," he said loudly so that Ironhide might hear him. "Didn't mean to hit you."

"Eh, I can't even feel it," Ironhide murmured as the boy stared at him still. "What?"

"You're really big. Even bigger than Mr. Steelgage," the boy observed, to which Ironhide could only snort a little in response. "You here to recruit or somethin'?"

"Recruit?"

"For the army," the boy noted the twin canons that poked out of either one of Ironhide's burly arms. "You're in it, right?"

Ironhide chuckled a little at that, looking over his cannons slowly. Of course, that would probably be someone's first reaction. Even if in reality he simply loved weapons in general. "Once upon a time I was," he explained to the curious young human. "I retired after the war. Now I'm a gym teacher..."

"That's a pretty boring job change."

"You're telling me."

Ironhide smirked a bit, expecting the boy to tire of the talk. He'd learned most humans that were young had short attention spans for this sort of thing, after all. Instead, however, the boy simply offered: "I'm Shane."

Ironhide hesitated a reply, but eventually gave it. "Ironhide," he offered. "So, you lived here long?"

Shane shrugged his shoulders in response, then added. "Yup, since I was born. Mr. Steelgage says I was left right outside the door. Three days old," Shane explained, holding up three fingers for emphasis. "I've been here the longest of the humans, actually."

Ironhide tried to choke back his surprise. What? This boy had been here since infancy? Weren't the young ones the first orphans to get snatched up? He didn't understand. "Don't people typically want infants? How are you still here?" Ironhide asked, perhaps to bluntly.

"... You haven't looked too close, have you Mr. Ironhide?"

Indeed he hadn't as evidenced when the boy turned just a little to the right. Exposing his left arm, and the stump that was positioned where his left hand should have been. Ironhide frowned slightly, his optics softening. "They ain't got ye any prosthetics?" he asked. "They make things to help with that, y'know."

"Not in the budget," Shane murmured as he rubbed his stump slightly. "It's OK though! I'm as tough as anyone else, you know! I still play baseball, I just don't have a mitt - or people to play with. But whatever."

Ironhide smirked, liking the boy's spirit. Even if he could tell some of these things probably did bother him. With a small snort, he put his hands on his hips a little and looked down on him. "You've got spirit, I like that," he replied, surprised by how much the boy was seemingly making an impression on him. "How old are you, squirt?"

"Seven, I'll be eight in October," Shane replied as he bent down and picked up his ball. "How old are you?"

"Heh, older than you probably know how to count," Ironhide replied with a wider smirk as he stood there, thinking things through quietly in his head. "So, if ye ain't too busy. I got a mate who'd probably like to meet ye too. I ain't sure where she went off to, but she's somewhere around here."

Shane almost instantly seemed to know what he was implying. Even if he seemingly only now realized that Ironhide was one of the many prospective parents out in the yard. Ironhide had to admit, he may have been just as surprised at his response as he was. But this kid had spunk, and a spirit that reminded him of Cliff... Reminded him of that same spark, that same goofy grin.

The boy shrunk back a bit, surprising him. "I-I don't know," Shane managed. "Are you sure that's OK?"

"More than OK, I know she'll want to meet you."

Ironhide wasn't about to let the boy back out of this. If Ironhide really was going to jump head-first into this, he knew this boy had his vote. If what little he saw was anything to go by - he had a deep feeling in his spark that Shane was probably one of many good choices.

And so he lead Shane along through the crowd. Eventually finding Chromia standing off to the side, watching a few young girls. "Ahem, Chromia. I have someone I'd like you to meet," she stared at him with a look of surprise. "Shane, this is my mate, Chromia."

Chromia smiled a little, glancing at Ironhide, who simply shrugged. After a moment she took a few steps forward, making a point to crouch low enough that she was at Shane's level. "Hello, Shane. I'm Chromia," she reiterated. "I can see you got my big brute out of his shell. So let me thank you for that already."

Ironhide grunted, hating that Chromia was already pointing out how wrong he'd been. He crossed his arms a little, as Shane gave a small giggle. "It was an accident, I guess. My ball hit his leg," Shane pointed out, then looked up at the big female Cybertronian. "... You two lookin' for a kid?"

It was a rather blunt question that lead the two of them to glance at each other quietly. Rumbling, Ironhide spoke up first, trying to keep it calm. "Considering it. We uh... Well, Chromia really thinks it'd be good for us," he explained. "You see, we lost our son a full century back..."

Chromia interrupted him. "What Ironhide's saying is yes, we're looking to take a child in. But we aren't sure what we're looking for. We've only been licensed about a month now and this was a relatively recent decision," Ironhide snorted, noting how blunt she herself was being. "But we don't have to talk about that, Shane. Not if you don't want to..."

"We don't?" Shane asked curiously.

"Not at all," Ironhide replied. "What do you want to talk about?"

Shane looked over at Ironhide curiously, then admitted. "Where did you get those cannons?"

The question made the two chuckle deeply.

* * *

"Shane is a wonderful kid."

Chromia leaned in slowly as the social worker spoke. It was two weeks after their initial meeting at the youth sector, and after initial inquiry, they'd finally been able to set up a meeting. She and Ironhide had agreed to meet Shane, who having been in the system so long, had his own social worker outside the youth sector. She was a posh young woman with long golden hair and dark brown eyes. And while Chromia liked her enough she also made her nervous.

They'd currently sent Shane off to the small arcade area of the diner they were in so they could talk. Both robot forms accompanying Shane as their holoforms sat in front of the social worker. Chromia imagined they didn't look like the typical adopting couple. Ironhide's holform was a tall, tan skinned, and muscular man with a rough beard. He looked almost like a cross between a body builder and a military officer.

On the other hand, Chromia's was of a shorter, slender woman. She had a sharp look to her, with soft blue eyes, and a bit softer features than her mate. Surely, a little of an "odd couple" at first sight but Chromia never cared. "So you both have been parents before?" Cora, the social worker asked. "Where is your son now?"

Chromia was silent, Ironhide tense as he gripped her holoform's shoulder. "Cliffjumper died in the war. He was stationed on Earth with Optimus' team and was offlined after being taken prisoner," she could already see the sympathy in the social workers features. "That's why we think adopting Shane would be a good thing for us. The medics aren't sure we can get sparked again at our age. And there are so many children without good homes."

Ironhide nodded his head in agreement. "Our friend, Ultra Magnus was the one to suggest it to us. Three years ago, as you know, he adopted a young street child himself," he explained, trying to be honest. "Said it was the best decision he ever made."

"Well, this situation is a bit different," Cora replied. "... I hope you understand this, but you're the fifth family in the last seven years to express interest. Shane has been fostered out multiple times, and almost adopted twice. But he's still here."

Chromia leaned forward curiously, eyes focusing on the woman carefully. What did that mean? Was the boy some sort of trouble they didn't know? "Why would anyone put a little boy through that?" she asked as smoothly as he could. "Does he get himself into trouble?"

"... I hate to say this. But no and yes," Cora explained. "A few have cited his special needs as a reason. But the prospective adoptive families cited everything from stealing to fighting at school... Really, it's a load of horseshit if you ask me. Shane's the most mild-mannered kid I know. I think most of them return him because of his special needs."

"Needs, as in plural?"

Chromia hated to ask the question. Of course they knew about the lack of a left hand, but what else did the boy have? "Well, one, the lack of a right hand. But I say that can be fixed with a prosthetic," she looked over to make sure Shane wasn't listening in. "Most families can't afford the prostehtic, however. And many of them return him when they realize just how much help he does need without it. It doesn't seem like much, but you'd be surprised."

Chromia knew that, and they were prepared for that. They weren't exactly wealthy, but they had friends in high places. They knew that they could get Shane a prosthetic, Ratchet wouldn't even charge for it either. "Then why take someone with one?" Ironhide asked with a low growl. "That's just cruel to do to a child. You need to consider their feelings too! Do people not understand that?"

"Ironhide..." Chromia tried to calm him.

"Don't "Ironhide" me. I've seen that boy throw a baseball like it's nothing," Ironhide replied as he crossed his arms. "He may need help. But if you care about someone you help - you don't complain or return them. What the pit is wrong with them?"

Cora looked between the couple. "So you're prepared to help him?"

Chromia decided to answer that, to keep her mate from losing his patience. "We are friends with one of the greatest medics around. We have no doubt we can procure a prosthetic. And even if not, we are prepared to do what we can," she explained. "Does he have other special needs we need to know about?"

The social worker looked down, and then between the two of them quietly. She clasped her hands for a moment, and then added. "Not a whole lot. But he obviously has social anxiety. He's very rarely been outside of the youth sector. He'll need time to adjust to a family environment that you'll nee to give him," that was understandable - at the very least. "Of course, like a number of children - he's also been abused along the line. So expect at least some apprehension from him."

"Understandable," Chromia replied. "Well, Shane would have a loving and understanding home with us. We may not be the most conventional couple. But we have already raised one son to maturity, no matter how that ended. And I believe he would be a good fit."

Cora looked thoughtfully at the two of them, smiling as genuinely as she could. "Well I like you both, I just need to do some preliminary things before I can schedule any kind of home visits. But I think it shouldn't take long," she noted as Shane started to return with the real forms of the couple. "Hey kiddo, ready to order some food?"

"Yeah, I'm starving," Shane replied. "Can I get a shake?"

Of course, Ironhide was the one to reply with a big grin. "Order whatever you'd like, Shane. Food's on me today," he explained, making Shane's eyes light up, but as Cora began to interject. "Don't. I insist, yer food too."

"Don't argue with him," Chromia replied. "He'll only keep insisting."

To both of their surprise, Shane was quick to take a seat on their side, next to Ironhide. Perhaps too enthusiastic to really think it through. It didn't matter though, Ironhide didn't fully mind it one bit. Even if a part of him was still unsure about the whole thing, he did like this kid. "I'll get a shake, and fries! Oh, can I get a double cheeseburger!?" he asked excitedly. "I don't usually get to order whatever I want."

"Heh, slow down, you little piston," Ironhide joked as he tossled the boy's hair gently. "Let's focus your attention on what ye can actually eat."

Chromia smiled a little as she watched Ironhide carefully going over the menu with Shane. Noting a gentle nature that she hadn't seen in a long time... A nature she had so sorely missed. And hoped, despite his misgivings on the situation, she'd continue to see more of.

* * *

A/N: Whew, that plot bunny ended up longer than I expected! Anyways, I hope you guys enjoyed the start of it. Like my others at the moment, this will be a bit on the shorter side of my fics as it is a way of taking a break from my longer fics. But hopefully it will still be good!


	2. Shane's First Visit: Part 1

GUEST: Yeah, I was sad too. But sadly it was just for the best in general. And yeah, I love Drift but I haven't had the right idea for him yet, sadly.

A/N: So this chapter is going to be split into two because I want to make sure I make this first "overnight" as well fleshed out as possible. So be prepared for a two-parter!

* * *

 **CHAPTER 2  
Shane's First Visit: Part 1**

"Slag, I keep feeling like I'm forgetting something!"

"Chromia, just relax, everythin' will be OK."

Even though Ironhide said it, his tanks were churning with anticipation. It was a few weeks after their initial meeting with Shane and Cora. Since then, they'd met Shane three more times for some fun times out. But today was the real challenge, and they both knew it. Shane really liked them, and they liked Shane, so the youth sector now wanted to see just how well they handled a night alone with the boy.

Ironhide tried to keep himself calm, but really he was a nervous wreck. Cliffjumper had been out of the house a long time when he'd gone off on his own during the war. This would be the first time in thousands of years that they'd have a child under their protection. "I want to believe that 'Hide, but now that it's here I'm so... Ugh," Chromia groaned quietly. "What if he doesn't like the human food we bought?"

"That's why we asked him what he liked to eat last time." Ironhide reminded her.

"We haven't finished getting his bedroom together."

"We got him a soft bed though. He ain't moving in forever yet, 'Mia. He'll be fine for one night."

Really, he was reassuring himself too. But he wasn't really afraid that they hadn't properly prepared. They'd gone out of their way to prepare their one-story home for a human - down to installing human-sized doors. The rest was up to Primus now if Shane was really meant to be theirs.

Ironhide had to admit though, the more he thought on the subject, the more it excited him. His apprehensions on inviting someone other than Cliffjumper into his spark were slowly fading. Mostly because he knew if Cliffjumper were alive, he likely would have enjoyed the spunky little athlete as a little brother. And he knew somewhere in the Well of Allsparks, his son probably whole-heartedly did approve.

At the same time however, a part of him had to try hard to push his memories out of his mind. The ones that involved little Cliffjumper running around, having tons of fun. Giving him his first blaster, teaching him to fire it...

But maybe it could be joined by new memories. Going to his first baseball game as the father of a member. The first time he got to show Shane how to fire a cannon of his own. His first day of middle and high school at Iacon Academy... He sighed quietly, thinking down the list of things they had to look forward to. Though he continued to try and calm his nerves.

Once he had, of course, the doorbell rang. Noticing Chromia's look of nervousness, he made a quick move to get up - figuring it was best he handle this. Of course, when he opened the door, the sight was no less scary. As there they were, Cora and Shane. "Good afternoon you two! Hope you didn't have much trouble finding us," Ironhide managed, attempting a friendly tone despite his nerves. "Mia's just making sure we're all prepared for the night. So y'all can come in."

Within moments, his holoform appeared and gently took Shane's overnight pack. "Oh, I can take that Mr. Ironhide." Shane managed.

"And what have I said the last three times about this "Mr." business?" Ironhide asked as he looked the boy straight in the eye.

Shane had been so used to using formalities it was hard to drop them. But Ironhide hardly wanted any potential son of his calling him "Mr. Ironhide". A part of him was already hoping it wouldn't take long before "dad" was the thing Shane would be calling out. "Right, I'm sorry Ironhide," Shane managed to reply back with a lot of nerves. "But really, I could have taken it."

Ironhide responded by carefully picking Shane up and plopping him on his shoulder. "You also coulda walked inside yourself, but ye ain't doing either," Ironhide joked, as the boy giggled a little in response. "You want to come in for a minute Cora?"

"No I'm jut here doing drop-off. I have more to do," Cora replied. "Please, call me if there are any problems. Shane, be good for the lovely couple, on your best behavior."

"Yes Ms. Blaine."

"Have a good day!" Ironhide called as he closed the door behind her. "Well then, Shane. I don't know about you, but I've had quite the day at work. So I thought we could just spend a relaxing night here. Chromia is prepping some good for you. And my sire will be coming over later tonight."

Shane stopped breathing for a moment - fear filling his eyes. Of course, having been born and raised on Cybertron, he knew that term just as well as any sparkling. "Wait, your dad's still alive?" Shane finally asked, as only an innocent child would.

Ironhide gave a hearty laugh, but felt no anger at the clear comment on his age. Though he merely rolled his optics, and nodded his head a little. "Yes, he's older than dirt, but still kickin'. His name's Kup, and he's really a nice mech. Just been itchin' to meet the boy we're lookin' at," Ironhide replied - careful not to say 'his new grandson' in fear that things may still not pan out. "You'll love him, and I already know he's gonna love you."

The little boy shifted on the mech's shoulder slightly. "What if I'm not what he wants?"

The burly mech gave a small snort, looking him in the eyes. "Ain't about what HE wants. We're the one's adoptin' you. Or at least that hopefully are," Ironhide explained. "Just be yer usual, sweet and cute little self and I'm sure you'll worm your way right into his big ole spark."

Shane hoped he was right.

* * *

"This is my room?"

"I know it's not a lot to look at," Chromia replied as she stood in the doorway, eyeing the mostly empty room with a twin sized bed, dresser, and desk. "Ironhide and I are going to decorate it all nice once we have an idea when the whole "application" process is over."

Shane ran a hand over the bedspread as Chromia watched. It was so little right now, but the wide eyes he looked at made her realize that to someone who'd spent their whole life in an orphanage it probably was everything. Taking a deep breath, she took a step inside, and crossed her arms, looking around as well.

They'd purposely chosen a big room so that Shane had room to grow. He was, after all, only on the cusp of turning eight and would grow up here. He'd be a teenager before they could even blink, then a young adult and they wanted to be ready for that... "Can I help pick some stuff out?" Shane asked. "If you adopt me, I mean."

Chromia frowned a little - taking a step forward. "When we adopt you, sweetspark. We aren't likely to change our minds," she explained - more sure than Ironhide himself was about using the "when" and not "if". "And I'm sure we can make time to take you out to pick out a few things. Until then, I hope you'll at least be comfortable here tonight."

"I'll be fine, Chromia, thanks."

Shane set his bag, which he'd eventually taken from Ironhide and set it on his bed. Looking around the room again, and Chromia could only wonder inwardly what he was thinking as he did. "Shane, can I ask you a question?" the child nodded his head, and she immediately went about to adding. "Are you sure that you're OK with being here? I don't think we've broached the subject that we're... Well..."

"Autobots?" Shane asked. "I know... I don't mind."

Chromia relaxed, there was one of her fears down the drain. She'd quickly learned that Shane tended to be open about his feelings after all. "I'm more surprised you guys don't mind it," that one surprised her. "I know lots of you guys adopt us... But I never thought it'd happen to me."

Chromia tilted her head. "Would you explain?"

"I don't know," Shane shrugged his shoulders. "Guess a lot of Autobots just passed me up."

The femme nodded her head, perhaps understanding where he was coming from. Sure, a lot of Cybertronians did look more for children of their species to adopt. But at the same time, cross-species adoption had become more common, despite how strange that may have been at one time. "I didn't mind what we got. I just wanted to meet someone I could get along with," Chromia explained. "And who could deal with us."

"But you're so much fun!"

Chromia laughed a little. "I'm glad you think so, little one. But Ironhide especially intimidates a lot of people."

"What's that mean?" Shane asked.

"He scares people."

Shane frowned a bit, surprised by that. But Chromia knew why that was. Ironhide was a different mech around Shane, just like he was around Cliffjumper when he was growing up. He became a different mech around the kids, a soft, gentle one that showered them with attention and affection. Though when he wanted to, that mech could also become tough and strict, she supposed.

The chuckle from behind brought her out of her thoughts. "Let's not up and scare him before he's spent his first night here," Ironhide told her as he wrapped a pair of arms around her waist gently. "He ain't got nothin' to worry about - after all."

The boy smiled as he watched the affectionate way that they acted. He was not used to seeing so much love around, but it definitely gave him hope for his future. "Is Kup here yet? I want to get Shane's food started so I don't completely botch it. But not before he gets here," Chromia asked rather pointedly. "But I don't want to feed him too late either. He'll never get to sleep if he's eating late..."

"'Mia, it's four in the afternoon, he has plenty of time," Ironhide replied with another hearty laugh of his. "If yer that worried, I can always order pizza."

Chromia gave a look of utter disapproval at that comment. Pulling him by the audio receptor, she noted with a. "Oh no, you're not letting this one live on junk food, Ironhide! Cliffjumper practically had nothing else until he was in his third frame," Ironhide gave an "ow ow ow" - which caused a bit of a chuckle from Shane. "Just go see when Kup is going to get here."

"Yes m'am," Ironhide replied as she released. "Sheesh, his energon sweets never hurt him."

Chromia shook her head. "No, but he still had too many. And humans have way too much variety to their idea of "junk food"."

Ironhide groaned a bit, and threw back his head. Though he understood where his mate was coming from, he didn't want to be the stiff either. "Fine, fine, fine... Not too much junk food," Ironhide explained. "But if you go health food nut on him, you'll drive ME crazy."

Chromia shook her head as Ironhide left, watching as Shane continued to give a soft giggle. "Don't worry, it's not health food. I'm not that mean a carrier," she joked a bit. "Come on, you want to take a look at the choices? You can tell me what you'd like."

"Yes please!" Shane replied with a bounce in his step as he followed her out of the room.

* * *

"Mmmm I love mac and cheese!"

"And I'm the one that was offering junk food?"

Shane smirked as Ironhide entered the "kitchen"-like area where Chromia was preparing to make his meal. Kup was stuck in traffic, which at this time of day could mean he'd be a little while. So he'd suggested that they go about feeding Shane and that he'd show up in time to drink an energon with them. "Oh give me a fragging break," Chromia replied. "It seemed healthy at the time. But I've got fruit and vegetables to supplement that."

Ironhide chuckled, coming towards the counter-top that Shane was seated on. He gave a smile toward the young boy and told him. "Don't let her fool ye, she just wanted to be the "cool" creator for a bit. Because she knows I've got that in the bag," Ironhide noted as he bumped his fist against his chest plating. "I mean, remember who's got the cool cannons. And who's going to show you how to fire your first blaster."

Shane's eyes beamed at the thought of that. "That's so cool! Can I do it now!?"

Before Ironhide could even think of replying in the affirmative, Chromia shook her head. "You are not teaching our soon-to-be eight year old to fire a blaster," she told him with as much bluntness as she could manage. "We agreed on twelve."

"I thought it was ten."

"No, because I don't want him to shoot himself in the foot."

Ironhide smirked again, and looked down at the boy with a sly wink. "Sure Chromia, no gun firing until he's twelve, I promise!" he explained as he held one hand up to his mouth and whispered. "That she needs to know anything about."

Even as Chromia was struggling to make this mac and cheese substance work right, she growled. "I heard that! Don't make me reformat you into a toaster oven. We still need to buy one of those!"

"Yes, honey." Ironhide replied with a groan. "Well, can't blame a guy for trying."

Shane only laughed quietly as he watched the two continue to interact. He took in the whole situation as best he could, and almost felt his heart skip a beat. They acted so natural around them, not trying to be anything but who they were. Already treating him like they knew that he was going to be with them for as long as Shane had dreamed he would be with a family.

It was the first time in his several instances of living with a family that somewhere felt like home.

"Don't burn the fragging thing," Ironhide snorted. "Let me see those instructions. I think you're putting it in for too long."

"Am I? Frag it, these human contraptions are a pain! Even in holoform!"

As he watched both holoforms work together, he couldn't help but let a smile cross his lips. Yep, he had a feeling he was going to like it here. He had a feeling he was going to like it here a lot.

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A/N: Ah, it was fun writing this chapter. Since I feel like Ironhide and Chromia are so *these* parents who tend to be the type to be goofballs even when fighting over parenting approaches. XD Hope you all enjoyed it too!


	3. Shane's First Visit: Part 2

GUEST: Don't know if there's much to explain. He's just Ironhide's dad. His birth dad to be exact. Though he is the adopted dad of another canon character to be mentioned here.

A/N: The family tree of Ironhide and Chromia is going to get a little wild here. LOL Just to make it clear. But I hope it comes out well!

Also thanks to everyone who has read/reviewed/Favorited/followed this fic so far! You rock!

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 **CHAPTER 3  
Shane's First Visit: Part 2**

"Well hello there, Shane! It's nice to finally meet you!"

Shane shifted on his feet nervously as the older green mech entered the living room. The mech had a soft look in his optics, and a genuinely friendly mile on his face. Shane hadn't really ever seen an "old" Autobot, so it was a little odd seeing one that seemed to show signs of aging. But his warm smile, and twinkle in his optics made him, at least to Shane, very friendly and approachable.

It didn't make him any less nervous.

Still, he attempted to smile and then spoke to him in the most friendly way he could imagine. "Hi, you must be Kup. Ironhide told me about you! He said you're old as dirt, but really nice!"

Ironhide smacked himself in the faceplate. Of course, this precocious seven year old would up and use that greeting. Of course though, Kup had created him, and he had learned his sense of humor from him. And thus, the older mech merely threw back his head a bit. "Oh boy, your brother is going to get a kick out of him!" Kup noted to which Ironhide couldn't help but chuckle a little himself in agreement. "Yes, Shane, I suppose I am old as dirt. But that doesn't mean I ain't kickin' a much as Ironhide or Hot Rod."

Shane tilted his head. "Hot Rod?"

Kup of course gave Ironhide a look. It may have been odd in his mind, but Ironhide and Chromia had decided to ease Shane into their somewhat crazy and unusual family. On top of Ironhide's creator, Hound, he had an adopted little brother. This was, of course, Hot Rod, who was almost two vorns his junior, and rescued during the destruction of his home city. Ironhide had handed the sparkling off to Kup after finding him to raise, and while he didn't regret it, he was a bit of a troublemaker - and thus he wanted to have Shane meet him a little later.

On top of this, Chromia had her own niece and nephew-in-law. Arcee, her niece from a sister who had died in the war was not that big of a deal. She was tough as nails, sweet, and he got along well with her. But her sparkmate was definitely a different story entirely. Sideswipe was cocky, a goofball, and in some ways an entirely polar opposite to her. Why she bonded with him? He had no idea. But getting him in Shane's way before they'd gotten to influence him more? Also a bad idea.

But all the same, he knew that he couldn't keep him away from them forever. And before long, Hot Rod would of course come knocking wanting to meet his sure to be new nephew too. "Yeah, he'll get to meet Roddy after he's here full time. Probably take him to visit him on Earth. Since I have business down there soon," Ironhide noted, given Hot Rod was on Earth at the moment as he looked down at Shane. "Hot Rod is my little brother. Kup adopted him during the war. But he decided to go to work on Earth after all was said and done."

Shane seemed to brighten up a little. After all, he was going from having no known family at all, to actually having a large one. "So I'll have an uncle too?" Shane asked, Ironhide nodded, not feeling uncomfortable about admitting that since Shane himself used the terminology. "Wow, that's so cool! I just thought I might be getting a mom and dad. But I'm gonna have an uncle and grandpa too?"

"And a cousin and cousin-in-law in your human terms," Kup replied, of course, open as could be. "You're inheriting a mighty big and rich family history - Shane. It's so large we probably have many relatives all over Earth and Cybertron by now."

Shane looked big and bug eyed up at the old mech. Inside, Shane felt his stomach turn in knots as he really thought about it. This meant they had a big family - and what if he wasn't ready for that? He'd never been a part of a family before - ever, and now they planned to make him part of one that was more than just two people. What would happen if they didn't like him? What if he didn't get along with anyone?

Both mechs turned their optics towards Shane. Noticing the heightened fear in him that Ironhide had worried about. "Don't worry, you won't have to meet them all right away. Like I said, we'll probably visit Hot Rod when you've settled in properly," he explained. "And it'll probably be a while before we get to see your cousin's. They're typically of the busy sort."

Kup put his hands on his hips, and looked down at his soon-to-be grandson. "Don't be afraid, lad. We're a loving family and I look forward to getting to know ye," he explained, then made an "oh" shape with his mouth. "Hey! Before I forget, I brought you something."

Ironhide looked surprised, but noticed as, indeed, Kup dug through his subspace. After a long moment, he grinned widely, and then pulled something out. "Ah! Here we go!" he finally announced. "I've been hearing kids like this really love these! They're even replacing bikes!"

Ironhide looked at Kup in surprise as Shane's eyes widened in delight. Ironhide almost wanted to say that Shane was seven years old, and perhaps too young for a hoverboard. But of course, Kup was going to take the chance to spoil his new grandson regardless.

Chromia on the other hand... "Really? A hoverboard?" Chromia stated as she crossed over and Kup carefully crouched to hand Shane the large, green board. "I suppose it's OK... But he's only seven so you had better be doing it in front of Ironhide or I!"

The boy seemed too awed to really say anything in response. Given he was standing there, looking over his board in excitement. "Thank you, Kup! This is so cool!" he then hesitated for a moment, and looked up. "Are... Are you sure it's OK though? These are expensive..."

"Pshhhh. Expensive my aft," Kup replied. "Back in my day you learned the true meaning of "expensive". This is nothing when it comes to my family."

Ironhide chuckled, knowing better than to argue with that. He hadn't gotten his stubornness from nothing after all. "Well, we'll have to keep it here until you move in. No doubt it might go missing in your barracks," he explained. "Maybe tomorrow morning we can give it a run though. Before we have to get you back to the youth sector."

Shane's face fell slowly at the thought of it. "Oh yeah, the youth sector."

All three could notice the lowered excitement in Shane's reaction. Of course, it was to be expected. The boy had been returned before, and Ironhide and Chromia were sure that a part of him worried they'd change their mind. Especially since they still weren't one hundred percent prepared to take in a human, as much as they were trying - they had a lot of learning to do.

Surprisingly, it was Kup who came up with what to say. Though they guessed it wasn't too surprising, Kup always had a strange way with words. "Don't get so down, youngin'. It'll only be a short time before yer back I'm sure," Kup replied. "My son and his bondmate really care about you, I can tell. So trust me when I say you haven't got anything to worry about. Just think about it as having time with your friends before you get to come home for good."

Yep, Kup had a way with words.

Ironhide knew that was true, that Shane should take it as that. Especially with all of the friends he must have procured over his years there. After a moment, Shane finally agreed as well. "Yeah... I guess I'd be sad if I didn't get to say goodbye to Wheels, Alex, and the others," he explained. "Will I get to come back soon though?"

That, Kup left Ironhide and Chromia to answer. Chromia decided it was best for her to answer, and with a smile noted. "As long as you want to come back, I don't see why not."

That put a smile back on Shane's face.

* * *

"Now, Ironhide and I will be just next door if you need us in the night."

It was later that night, Kup had gone home, and with it nearing nine already, it was time to put Shane to bed. This was by far the hardest part for Ironhide. Memories of their special alone time with Cliffjumper before he recharged still fresh in his memory. Yet it warmed every ounce of his spark as Chromia carefully set Shane into his bed and pulled the covers over him.

The emotions mixed in a way that made him even more nervous about the whole thing. Would they be able to make sure he felt comfortable in the night? He had a glass of water by his nightstand, enough blankets to get him through the colder Cybertronian nights... He tapped his foot slightly, nerves wracking up as Chromia made quick notice of it, shooting him a glance to ask if he was OK.

Ironhide merely nodded, trying to calm himself down.

Shane yawned quietly in a way that pulled him from his thoughts. "We're gonna really try the hoverboard tomorrow, right Ironhide?" he asked with bright eyes. "You promise?"

The mech chuckled in response, of course his mind was still on that. Now that they had promised he'd be coming back, he imagined that his seven year old mind had latched onto the thoughts of that sweet ride. "Yes, Shane, I promise," he explained with a smile. "But that ain't gonna happen unless you get some shut-eye, bitlet."

Shane nodded his head in response, shifting a little to lay his head down against the pillows. Ironhide expected he may be a little restless from sleeping alone in a new home, but they were prepared. He'd even promised to take the first shift should Shane get up during the night unable to sleep. "Comfortable enough?" Chromia asked.

"Yeah, it's really soft!" Shane piped up excitedly. "Softest bed I've ever laid on!"

Ironhide chuckled, stepping forward to run a finger along his side gently. "Yeah, well, should be a great night's recharge then," he told him brightly. "Goodnight, Shane..."

He hesitated just short of the "we love you". He was so used to saying that before leaving Cliffjumper, but knew it was far too soon to use such a term. The social workers had of course warned them against that, at least until his placement was permanent. Such words, as he already knew carried great weight, and though he was very sure that he was, indeed, growing to love him, he still held it back.

Chromia, similarly, ran a finger along his back and noted. "Goodnight, sweetspark. Sweet dreams."

And that's when they each stepped out to leave him, and took a collective deep breath. Ironhide laughed a little as they started for the living room, his arms roped around her shoulders. "See, told ye it would be OK. Other than you nearly burning dinner," she slugged him in the chest for that. "What? We fixed it together, didn't we? And today was fun!"

His sparkmate gave a small laugh in response, but nodded in agreement. It had been fun after all, but a lot of work, about what they expected. "He's such a sweet kid. But a lot more nervous now that he's actually here," Chromia replied. "We're going to have to help him feel more able to be himself - like at the youth sector."

"He will, give it time," Ironhide told her. "This is all new to him. And he's been hurt before too. He just needs to get used to the idea that we're his parents and here to stay."

"Well he does seem to like us, so it shouldn't be hard," Chromia noted, which was of course exactly what Ironhide was thinking. "Have you still got Ratchet working on his arm?"

Ironhide smiled, of course he had. They intended to take Shane to pick it up and attach it after he moved in for good. He'd given the medic his proportions and he'd already set to work designing one for Shane's "welcome home" gift. One that was sure to surprise him - and hopefully in a good way. "He says he should have one ready in the next month, so we're still on time," Ironhide nodded as he responded. "Can't wait to see that kid's reaction when we give it to him. Gonna be so surprised."

Chromia smiled from receptor-to-receptor. "And you're the one who wasn't even sure about going to that youth sector to begin with."

Ironhide snorted, planting a kiss on her cheek. "Oh hush, I came around, didn't I?" he asked teasingly. "And I'm glad I did..."

"Me too."

And it was for that reason Ironhide hoped this would go as well as it seemed to be.

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A/N: Woo! That was a fun chapter to write! Hope you all enjoyed!


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